Page 66 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

My only reassurance was that she wouldn’t keep him forever. My mother hated taking care of anyone other than herself. She’d come home eventually and try to use this to keep me in line, to push my pack away.

The problem was, I didn’t know if Gavin would come home unharmed.

I pushed open the unlocked front door. It was barely closed and pushed open easily, revealing a trainwreck inside.

We barely owned enough to make a mess but someone had taken time to make sure everything was scattered on the floors, spilled or broken, left behind for me to fix.

Gavin’s backpack had been tossed onto the couch. I knew he’d had it with him this morning because I’d packed it myself.

They’d been here.

I tried to keep myself together as I ran toward his bedroom. My hands shook as I threw open his closet. There were more empty hangers than there should have been.

She’d deliberately made him pack. I doubted this was a quick grab, she’d done this knowing I was at work. My stomach churned at the thought of him being terrified while I was browsing baked goods and produce.

I stood there frozen looking at the empty hangers as a hollow feeling settled over me. The numbness that I rarely let creep in. Gavin needed me present but now it didn’t matter.

Tires crunched outside before hurried footsteps rushed into the house. There wasn’t a point in driving around town now. She’d taken him out of reach.

Somewhere I couldn’t find him.

“We’ll get him back,” August vowed as he pulled me into his arms.

“We’re here, gorgeous. I’ve got my brother on it. He’s tracking them right now. I just got word they stopped at a gas station about two hours away,” Lachlan said quickly. He was deadly calm and somehow that forced me to move.

“He’s tracking them right now? How did he work so fast?”

Lachlan’s face twisted into a dark grin. “He doesn’t share his secrets and I won’t ask. I called the moment we knew he was missing and he got his team on it. She picked him up not long after school started, so they’ve got a head start.”

“There’s no point in following them,” I said, my voice sounding oddly detached. “She will call the police on us if we try. I think she found out about you three.”

“Why would she take him because of that?” Lachlan asked, genuinely confused.

“I told you if she ever found out about you…” The words died in my throat. I didn’t need to finish the sentence.

This was only phase one of her plan. By the time she came back with Gavin, she’d have stewed on it for days. She’ll wait until I’m compliant again, then she’ll strike. A few painful lessons to remind me what happens when I step out of line.

And there isn’t a damn thing I can do to stop it.

My mind spiraled into old, painful memories. I could hear them talking to me, but it sounded distorted. Almost like I was underwater.

My body started to move on instinct. I had to clean before they got back.

I started in Gavin’s room, wanting his space to be ready when he was back.

Then I moved to the bathroom. I scrubbed every surface until the room smelled like bleach.

Without saying a word, I made my way through the rest of the house. I ignored everything they said. I wasn’t even sure how to respond anymore. We all knew how fucked up this was.

My pack cleaned alongside me as the hours passed, trying to urge me out of the numbness that had taken over. It was useless.

I’d fucked up and the consequences were playing out in real time. No sweet words would change that outcome.

At one point, Lachlan disappeared before coming back an hour later with groceries to stock the fridge.

Hours later when my body started to ache and my eyes burned with pure exhaustion, they finally managed to drag me to bed.

Warm arms surrounded me and held me tight, but I couldn’t even register the scents around me.